Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1510154
mouser.com/te 33 So which applications will most likely be near- term adopters of one of the EV architectures? Depending upon the application and use case, the timing of the rollout will vary. Buses in Shenzhen, China, for example, are essentially 100% BEV today (Figure 8). These vehicles were able to make the change very quickly. It may be ten or even twenty years until a large percentage of heavy-duty transport trucks carrying goods across continents and countries can transition to becoming fully electric due to the lack of a capable charging infrastructure. There are numerous original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that have demonstration electric trucks and some also have announced production dates for these vehicles within the next few years. Before broad adoption can be realized, however, the infrastructure for charging or hydrogen refueling will need to be more broadly available. School buses, on the other hand, are used a small percentage of the day and travel well-defined routes. This type of use case facilitates the implementation of a charging infrastructure, whether plug-in, wireless, or pantograph, making them great candidates to rapidly move from diesel to electric. Similarly, construction equipment may be moved to the job site, then left there for days while the job is completed. It may be used for half the day, then recharged at night if a suitable charging point is made available. Or in the case of mining with around-the-clock operation, an all-electric approach can continuously operate without the need to regularly clean the air. While enabling a quieter operation and a safer work environment are desirable, mine operators are achieving substantial cost savings on diesel, propane, and electricity. They also are realizing productivity gains, with the increased uptime of electric vs. traditional ICE solutions which have more components and higher maintenance costs. Whether a truck, bus, or industrial piece of equipment, the use case can dictate the pace of electric adoption. But whenever the electrification happens, whether it be fully electric or as a hybrid, vehicle electrification for the ICT industry is here to stay. Connectivity for Powertrain Electrification in Industrial and Commercial Transportation Demands Reliable, Robust, and Innovative Solutions Industrial and commercial transportation vehicles and machinery are making the move toward becoming fully electric. Many factors are leading society on a path from stand-alone internal combustion engines for propulsion, to mild and full hybrid solutions, to intelligent fully electrified powertrain architectures. And while societal challenges exist and are being addressed, technical challenges must also be overcome. ICT applications demand extremely high power AND flawless operation in very harsh environments where failure is not an option. Ensuring robust connectivity solutions for this mission-critical industry to meet worldwide demand is a must. The exact rollout and precise evolution of various powertrain architecture approaches for heavy-duty vehicles is unclear. Varying applications, regulations, and industry challenges (societal, economic, and technical) all contribute to the industry's lack of clarity. And although the timing is uncertain, what we do know with a high degree of certainty is that whether vehicles utilize hybrid architectures or fully electric powertrains, these three things will be necessary: • A source of electric power. The source may be from an external plug, a wireless charger, or an on-board fuel cell. Figure 8: Global municipal electric bus fleet by selected region as reported in 2019. (Source: BloombergNEF's "Electric Vehicle Outlook 2019)